Box office: ’42’ is number one and Schenectady is number 10

Despite exceptions like Bull Durham, Major League, Moneyball and Field of Dreams, movies about our national pastime don’t traditionally fare well at the box office. Until now. Surprising most people, 42 not only opened big and took the top spot, but it’s $27 million haul was the biggest first weekend for a baseball movie ever.

Yes, the biopic celebrating Jackie Robinson‘s triumphant yet painful ascent into the major leagues in 1947 as the first black player did co-star Harrison Ford as Dodgers’ executive Branch Rickey. And its April 12 debut did capitalize nicely on today’s 66th anniversary of the event – Happy Jackie Robinson Day! But Robinson was portrayed by the little-known Chadwick Boseman (“little-known” not for long based on reviews) and the movie’s $38 million budget promised a modest success at best.

A nice “family” film

So, kudos to writer-director Brian Hegeland, Boseman, Ford and Robinson’s legacy, though, there’s still another important bonus of 42’s home run: it kept the Charlie Sheen/Lindsay Lohan-starring Scary Movie 5 at number two. That horror spoof sequel – the first without star Anna Faris and the third since creators the Wayans’ brothers jumped ship – made $15.1 million, the lowest ever for the series.

Other than fourth-place G.I. Joe: Retaliation passing the $100 million mark in its third week, there’s nothing of significance in the rest of the top ten until you get to tenth place. There, The Place Beyond the Pines grossed $4 million as it expanded to just over 500 theaters, bringing its three-week total to $5.4 million. How much of it came from this area, do you think?

CJ Lais

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